Providing high speed communication links for a number of fixed and/or mobile terminals can be extremely expensive. Conventional links may include wire or optical fiber cables. Obtaining rights-of-way and permits to build these in-ground facilities can be costly and time consuming. Conventional microwave links operate at relatively slow speeds, and may cause unwanted interference among the many radio receivers that are installed in and on the buildings.
The difficulty and expense of supplying broadband data links at the edges of the communication network has been described as the “Last Mile Problem.” Only about five percent of the 750,000 commercial buildings in the United States are connected by optical fibers. Businesses that reside in the remaining ninety-five percent of commercial buildings need the high speed service offered by fiber, but are unable to obtain a fiber connection, can not afford a fiber connection, or do not have the time to wait for the installation of a fiber connection.
No current commercially-available device or system provides a readily available, relatively inexpensive high speed connection for a number of fixed and/or mobile terminals. The development of such a system would constitute a major technological advance, and would satisfy long felt needs and aspirations in the telecommunications business.